Large Finger-hole Scissors

The post on serrated blade scissors got me thinking about the kind of scissors I like best. These have large fingerholes. I think I started to find the smaller holes uncomfortable when I was pretty young.

Being left-handed I used regular (i.e. right-handed) scissors. Since larger scissors and shears have bigger holes for your finger, mine always got stuck in the little hole, while my thumb had plenty of room to move. Large fingerholes solve my cramped finger problem.

Good scissors are such a joy to use. You might find your scissors more a pain than a pleasure. I did. And then I found large finger-hole scissors.

They made my life so much easier.

The only difference between regular scissors, pictured below, and large finger-hole scissors, pictured at the top of the article, is the size of the holes.

But what a difference that makes. Instead of scissors which pinch as you manipulate them, these scissors fit on your fingers and are comfortable. If you’re doing lots of cutting, this means a smaller chance of blisters or bruising. And no annoying deep grooves in your fingers.

Besides all of that if your fingers are stiff, these work better as well. With the large holes, they are easier to grasp. I have a few pairs like this, ranging from fine embroidery scissors to a more serviceable everyday pair with plastic covered holes. My favorite small scissors, Westcott’s titanium ones, have large fingerholes, come in several sizes, and are inexpensive.

Years ago these scissors were hard to find. Today it’s easy to find ones in every size as well as serrated ones for cutting metal. Whether you like inexpensive or fancy scissors, you’ll be able to find ones with large fingerholes.

Finally, if these don’t work for you, consider squeezable scissors. Fiskars makes a large size of these. Smaller ones are often called snips or tailer’s snips. They have no fingerholes but are held in your hand and squeezed.

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I like large finger hole scissors myself, but often shops don’t carry them. Gingher does make a large finger hoe scissors. They call them “snippers” in the distributor catalog I have, but they are scissors. There are two sizes 4.5″ and 5″ The fingerholes look quite large.

I also have some titanium scissors that are quite short (3″) with two-colored holes that were inexpensive and also have big fingerholes. The color combos are purple-blue or red-orange. I have three pairs.

Most needlework shops should be able to order any of these for you, although the two-colored scissors I got off the rack.